Isaiah 59:2-4 KJV 2 But your iniquities have
separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from
you, that he will not hear. 3 For your hands are defiled with blood, and
your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath
muttered perverseness. 4 None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth:
they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth
iniquity.

Isaiah 61:1-3 KJV 1 The Spirit of the Lord
GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings
unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim
liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of
our God; to comfort all that mourn; 3 To appoint unto them that mourn in
Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the
garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called
trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be
glorified.

Sunday

The
Effects of Sin (Isaiah
59).

Isaiah 58:3 NRSV 3 "Why do we fast, but you
do not see? Why humble ourselves, but you do not notice?" Look, you serve
your own interest on your fast day, and oppress all your workers.

Isaiah 58:3 KJV 3 Wherefore have we fasted,
say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou
takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and
exact all your labours.

Isaiah 59:1 KJV 1 Behold, the LORD'S hand is
not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot
hear:

Isaiah 59:2 KJV 2 But your iniquities have
separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from
you, that he will not hear.

Isaiah 59:1 KJV 1 Behold, the LORD'S hand is
not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot
hear:

Isaiah 59:2 NRSV 2 Rather, your iniquities
have been barriers between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his
face from you so that he does not hear.

Isaiah 59:2 KJV 2 But your iniquities have
separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from
you, that he will not hear.

Review Isaiah
chapter 59

Genesis 3:8 KJV 8 And they heard the voice
of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and
his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees
of the garden.

Monday

Who
Is Forgiven?

Review Isaiah
chapter 59

Jeremiah 31:34 KJV 34 And they shall teach
no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know
the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest
of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember
their sin no more.

Romans 3:9-20 KJV 9 What then? are we better
than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles,
that they are all under sin; 10 As it is written, There is none righteous,
no, not one: 11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh
after God. 12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become
unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. 13 Their throat
is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison
of asps is under their lips: 14 Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:
15 Their feet are swift to shed blood: 16 Destruction and misery are in their
ways: 17 And the way of peace have they not known: 18 There is no fear of
God before their eyes. 19 Now we know that what things soever the law saith,
it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped,
and all the world may become guilty before God. 20 Therefore by the deeds
of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law
is the knowledge of sin.

Romans 3:23 KJV 23 For all have sinned, and
come short of the glory of God;

Romans 3:22 KJV 22 Even the righteousness of
God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe:
for there is no difference:

Romans 3:21-24 KJV 21 But now the righteousness
of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the
prophets; 22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ
unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: 23 For
all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 24 Being justified freely
by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

Romans 3:26 NRSV 26 it was to prove at the
present time that he himself is righteous and that he justifies the one who
has faith in Jesus.

Romans 3:26 KJV 26 To declare, I say, at this
time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which
believeth in Jesus.

Romans 4:14 KJV 14 For if they which are of
the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none
effect:

James 2:18 KJV 18 Yea, a man may say, Thou
hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I
will shew thee my faith by my works.

Romans 3:20 KJV 20 Therefore by the deeds of
the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is
the knowledge of sin.

Romans 3:23 KJV 23 For all have sinned, and
come short of the glory of God;

Galatians 5:6 NRSV 6 For in Christ Jesus neither
circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything; the only thing that
counts is faith working through love.

Romans 5:5 KJV 5 And hope maketh not ashamed;
because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which
is given unto us.

James 2:26 KJV 26 For as the body without the
spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

Review Romans
chapter 6

Tuesday

Universal
Appeal(Isa. 60:1,
2).

Isaiah 60:1-2 KJV 1 Arise, shine; for thy light
is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. 2 For, behold, the
darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD
shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.

Isaiah 60:3 KJV 3 And the Gentiles shall come
to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.

Isaiah 59:20 KJV 20 And the Redeemer shall
come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith
the LORD.

Isaiah 60:2 KJV 2 For, behold, the darkness
shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall
arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.

Review Isaiah
chapter 60

Isaiah 60:1-3 KJV 1 Arise, shine; for thy light
is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. 2 For, behold, the
darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD
shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. 3 And the Gentiles
shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.

Genesis 12:2-3 KJV 2 And I will make of thee
a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou
shalt be a blessing: 3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him
that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be
blessed.

Genesis 18:18 KJV 18 Seeing that Abraham shall
surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth
shall be blessed in him?

Genesis 22:18 KJV 18 And in thy seed shall
all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my
voice.

Isaiah 56:3-8 KJV 3 Neither let the son of
the stranger, that hath joined himself to the LORD, speak, saying, The LORD
hath utterly separated me from his people: neither let the eunuch say, Behold,
I am a dry tree. 4 For thus saith the LORD unto the eunuchs that keep my
sabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and take hold of my covenant;
5 Even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and
a name better than of sons and of daughters: I will give them an everlasting
name, that shall not be cut off. 6 Also the sons of the stranger, that join
themselves to the LORD, to serve him, and to love the name of the LORD, to
be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and
taketh hold of my covenant; 7 Even them will I bring to my holy mountain,
and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their
sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called
an house of prayer for all people. 8 The Lord GOD which gathereth the outcasts
of Israel saith, Yet will I gather others to him, beside those that are gathered
unto him.

Isaiah 56:7 NRSV 7 these I will bring to my
holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings
and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house shall be
called a house of prayer for all peoples.

Isaiah 56:7 KJV 7 Even them will I bring to
my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt
offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine
house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.

Wednesday

The
Year of the Lords Favor
(Isa 61).

Isaiah 61:1 NRSV 1 The spirit of the Lord GOD
is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good
news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty
to the captives, and release to the prisoners;

Isaiah 61:1 KJV 1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD
is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto
the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty
to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;

Isaiah 42:1-7 KJV 1 Behold my servant, whom
I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon
him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. 2 He shall not cry, nor
lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. 3 A bruised reed
shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring
forth judgment unto truth. 4 He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he
have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law. 5 Thus
saith God the LORD, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out;
he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that
giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein:
6 I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand,
and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light
of the Gentiles; 7 To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from
the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.

Isaiah 61:2 KJV 2 To proclaim the acceptable
year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that
mourn;

Leviticus 25:10 NRSV 10 And you shall hallow
the fiftieth year and you shall proclaim liberty throughout the land to all
its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you: you shall return, every one
of you, to your property and every one of you to your family.

Leviticus 25:10 KJV 10 And ye shall hallow
the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all
the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubile unto you; and ye shall return
every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his
family.

Leviticus 25:25-55 KJV 25 If thy brother be
waxen poor, and hath sold away some of his possession, and if any of his
kin come to redeem it, then shall he redeem that which his brother sold.
26 And if the man have none to redeem it, and himself be able to redeem it;

Leviticus 25:27-55 27 Then let him count the
years of the sale thereof, and restore the overplus unto the man to whom
he sold it; that he may return unto his possession. 28 But if he be not able
to restore it to him, then that which is sold shall remain in the hand of
him that hath bought it until the year of jubile: and in the jubile it shall
go out, and he shall return unto his possession. 29 And if a man sell a dwelling
house in a walled city, then he may redeem it within a whole year after it
is sold; within a full year may he redeem it. 30 And if it be not redeemed
within the space of a full year, then the house that is in the walled city
shall be established for ever to him that bought it throughout his generations:
it shall not go out in the jubile. 31 But the houses of the villages which
have no wall round about them shall be counted as the fields of the country:
they may be redeemed, and they shall go out in the jubile. 32 Notwithstanding
the cities of the Levites, and the houses of the cities of their possession,
may the Levites redeem at any time. 33 And if a man purchase of the Levites,
then the house that was sold, and the city of his possession, shall go out
in the year of jubile: for the houses of the cities of the Levites are their
possession among the children of Israel. 34 But the field of the suburbs
of their cities may not be sold; for it is their perpetual possession. 35
And if thy brother be waxen poor, and fallen in decay with thee; then thou
shalt relieve him: yea, though he be a stranger, or a sojourner; that he
may live with thee. 36 Take thou no usury of him, or increase: but fear thy
God; that thy brother may live with thee. 37 Thou shalt not give him thy
money upon usury, nor lend him thy victuals for increase. 38 I am the LORD
your God, which brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, to give you the
land of Canaan, and to be your God. 39 And if thy brother that dwelleth by
thee be waxen poor, and be sold unto thee; thou shalt not compel him to serve
as a bondservant: 40 But as an hired servant, and as a sojourner, he shall
be with thee, and shall serve thee unto the year of jubile: 41 And then shall
he depart from thee, both he and his children with him, and shall return
unto his own family, and unto the possession of his fathers shall he return.
42 For they are my servants, which I brought forth out of the land of Egypt:
they shall not be sold as bondmen. 43 Thou shalt not rule over him with rigour;
but shalt fear thy God. 44 Both thy bondmen, and thy bondmaids, which thou
shalt have, shall be of the heathen that are round about you; of them shall
ye buy bondmen and bondmaids. 45 Moreover of the children of the strangers
that do sojourn among you, of them shall ye buy, and of their families that
are with you, which they begat in your land: and they shall be your possession.
46 And ye shall take them as an inheritance for your children after you,
to inherit them for a possession; they shall be your bondmen for ever: but
over your brethren the children of Israel, ye shall not rule one over another
with rigour. 47 And if a sojourner or stranger wax rich by thee, and thy
brother that dwelleth by him wax poor, and sell himself unto the stranger
or sojourner by thee, or to the stock of the stranger's family: 48 After
that he is sold he may be redeemed again; one of his brethren may redeem
him: 49 Either his uncle, or his uncle's son, may redeem him, or any that
is nigh of kin unto him of his family may redeem him; or if he be able, he
may redeem himself. 50 And he shall reckon with him that bought him from
the year that he was sold to him unto the year of jubile: and the price of
his sale shall be according unto the number of years, according to the time
of an hired servant shall it be with him. 51 If there be yet many years behind,
according unto them he shall give again the price of his redemption out of
the money that he was bought for. 52 And if there remain but few years unto
the year of jubile, then he shall count with him, and according unto his
years shall he give him again the price of his redemption.

Leviticus 25:53-55 53 And as a yearly hired
servant shall he be with him: and the other shall not rule with rigour over
him in thy sight. 54 And if he be not redeemed in these years, then he shall
go out in the year of jubile, both he, and his children with him. 55 For
unto me the children of Israel are servants; they are my servants whom I
brought forth out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.

Leviticus 25:9 KJV 9 Then shalt thou cause
the trumpet of the jubile to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month,
in the day of atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your
land.

Review Isaiah
chapter 58

Isaiah 61:2 NRSV 2 to proclaim the year of
the Lord's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who
mourn;

Isaiah 61:2 KJV 2 To proclaim the acceptable
year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that
mourn;

Review Leviticus
chapter 25

Isaiah 61:1-11 KJV 1 The Spirit of the Lord
GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings
unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim
liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of
our God; to comfort all that mourn; 3 To appoint unto them that mourn in
Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the
garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called
trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.
4 And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former
desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many
generations. 5 And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons
of the alien shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers. 6 But ye shall
be named the Priests of the LORD: men shall call you the Ministers of our
God: ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye
boast yourselves. 7 For your shame ye shall have double; and for confusion
they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess
the double: everlasting joy shall be unto them. 8 For I the LORD love judgment,
I hate robbery for burnt offering; and I will direct their work in truth,
and I will make an everlasting covenant with them. 9 And their seed shall
be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring among the people: all that
see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which the LORD hath
blessed. 10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in
my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered
me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with
ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels. 11 For as the
earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are
sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and
praise to spring forth before all the nations.

Isaiah 61:2 KJV 2 To proclaim the acceptable
year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that
mourn;

Isaiah 61:1 NRSV 1 The spirit of the Lord GOD
is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good
news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty
to the captives, and release to the prisoners;

Luke 4:16-21 KJV 16 And he came to Nazareth,
where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue
on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. 17 And there was delivered
unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book,
he found the place where it was written, 18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon
me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath
sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives,
and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. 20 And he closed the book,
and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them
that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21 And he began to say unto
them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.

Isaiah 61:1-3 KJV 1 The Spirit of the Lord
GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings
unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim
liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of
our God; to comfort all that mourn; 3 To appoint unto them that mourn in
Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the
garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called
trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be
glorified.

Thursday

The
Day of Vengeance of Our God
(Isa 61:2, NRSV).

Review Isaiah
chapter 61

Isaiah 61:2 NRSV 2 to proclaim the year of
the Lord's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who
mourn;

Isaiah 61:2 KJV 2 To proclaim the acceptable
year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that
mourn;

Luke 4:19 KJV 19 To preach the acceptable year
of the Lord.

Luke 4:21 NRSV 21 Then he began to say to them,
"Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."

Luke 4:21 KJV 21 And he began to say unto them,
This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.

Isaiah 61:2 NRSV 2 to proclaim the year of
the Lord's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who
mourn;

Isaiah 61:2 KJV 2 To proclaim the acceptable
year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that
mourn;

Review Matthew
chapter 24, Mark chapter 13 and Luke chapter 21

Joel 2:31 NRSV 31 The sun shall be turned to
darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and terrible day of the
LORD comes.

Joel 2:31 KJV 31 The sun shall be turned into
darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day
of the LORD come.

Malachi 4:5 KJV 5 Behold, I will send you Elijah
the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:

Review Revelation
chapter 19

Daniel 2:44-45 KJV 44 And in the days of these
kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed:
and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in
pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. 45 Forasmuch
as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands,
and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and
the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass
hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof
sure.

Matthew 5:39 KJV 39 But I say unto you, That
ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn
to him the other also.

Matthew 8:12 KJV 12 But the children of the
kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and
gnashing of teeth.

1 Thessalonians 5:15 KJV 15 See that none render
evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among
yourselves, and to all men.

2 Thessalonians 1:8 KJV 8 In flaming fire taking
vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our
Lord Jesus Christ:

Friday

Ellen
G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 376-378

God is a God of order. Everything connected
with heaven is in perfect order; subjection and thorough discipline mark
the movements of the angelic host. Success can only attend order and harmonious
action. God requires order and system in His work now no less than in the
days of Israel. All who are working for Him are to labor intelligently, not
in a careless, haphazard manner. He would have his work done with faith and
exactness, that He may place the seal of His approval upon it. {PP
376.1}

God Himself directed
the Israelites in all their travels. The place of their encampment was indicated
by the descent of the pillar of cloud; and so long as they were to remain
in camp, the cloud rested over the tabernacle. When they were to continue
their journey it was lifted high above the sacred tent. A solemn invocation
marked both the halt and the departure. "It came to pass, when the ark set
forward, that Moses said, Rise up, Lord, and let Thine enemies be scattered;
and let them that hate Thee flee before Thee. And when it rested, he said,
Return, O Lord, unto the many thousands of Israel." Numbers 10:35, 36. {PP
376.2}

A distance of
only eleven days' journey lay between Sinai and Kadesh, on the borders of
Canaan; and it was with the prospect of speedily entering the goodly land
that the hosts of Israel resumed their march when the cloud at last gave
the signal for an onward movement. Jehovah had wrought wonders in bringing
them from Egypt, and what blessings might they not expect now that they had
formally covenanted to accept Him as their Sovereign, and had been acknowledged
as the chosen people of the Most High? {PP 376.3}

Yet it was almost
with reluctance that many left the place where they had so long encamped.
They had come almost to regard it as their home. Within the shelter of those
granite walls (p.377)

God had gathered His people, apart from all
other nations, to repeat to them His holy law. They loved to look upon the
sacred mount, on whose hoary peaks and barren ridges the divine glory had
so often been displayed. The scene was so closely associated with the presence
of God and holy angels that it seemed too sacred to be left thoughtlessly,
or even gladly. {PP 376.4}

At the signal
from the trumpeters, however, the entire camp set forward, the tabernacle
borne in the midst, and each tribe in its appointed position, under its own
standard. All eyes were turned anxiously to see in what direction the cloud
would lead. As it moved toward the east, where were only mountain masses
huddled together, black and desolate, a feeling of sadness and doubt arose
in many hearts. {PP 377.1}

As they advanced,
the way became more difficult. Their route lay through stony ravine and barren
waste. All around them was the great wilderness--"a land of deserts and of
pits," "a land of drought, and of the shadow of death," "a land that no man
passed through, and where no man dwelt." Jeremiah 2:6. The rocky gorges,
far and near, were thronged with men, women, and children, with beasts and
wagons, and long lines of flocks and herds. Their progress was necessarily
slow and toilsome; and the multitudes, after their long encampment, were
not prepared to endure the perils and discomforts of the way. {PP 377.2}

After three days'
journey open complaints were heard. These originated with the mixed multitude,
many of whom were not fully united with Israel, and were continually watching
for some cause of censure. The complainers were not pleased with the direction
of the march, and they were continually finding fault with the way in which
Moses was leading them, though they well knew that he, as well as they, was
following the guiding cloud. Dissatisfaction is contagious, and it soon spread
in the encampment. {PP 377.3}

Again they began
to clamor for flesh to eat. Though abundantly supplied with manna, they were
not satisfied. The Israelites, during their bondage in Egypt, had been compelled
to subsist on the plainest and simplest food; but then keen appetite induced
by privation and hard labor had made it palatable. Many of the Egyptians,
however, who were now among them, had been accustomed to a luxurious diet;
and these were the (p. 378) first to complain. At the giving of the manna,
just before Israel reached Sinai, the Lord had granted them flesh in answer
to their clamors; but it was furnished them for only one day. {PP 377.4}

God might as
easily have provided them with flesh as with manna, but a restriction was
placed upon them for their good. It was His purpose to supply them with food
better suited to their wants than the feverish diet to which many had become
accustomed in Egypt. The perverted appetite was to be brought into a more
healthy state, that they might enjoy the food originally provided for man--the
fruits of the earth, which God gave to Adam and Eve in Eden. It was for this
reason that the Israelites had been deprived, in a great measure, of animal
food. {PP 378.1}

Satan tempted
them to regard this restriction as unjust and cruel. He caused them to lust
after forbidden things, because he saw that the unrestrained indulgence of
appetite would tend to produce sensuality, and by this means the people could
be more easily brought under his control. The author of disease and misery
will assail men where he can have the greatest success. Through temptations
addressed to the appetite he has, to a large extent, led men into sin from
the time when he induced Eve to eat of the forbidden fruit. It was by this
same means that he led Israel to murmur against God. Intemperance in eating
and drinking, leading as it does to the indulgence of the lower passions,
prepares the way for men to disregard all moral obligations. When assailed
by temptation, they have little power of resistance. {PP 378.2}

God brought the
Israelites from Egypt, that He might establish them in the land of Canaan,
a pure, holy, and happy people. In the accomplishment of this object He subjected
them to a course of discipline, both for their own good and for the good
of their posterity. Had they been willing to deny appetite, in obedience
to His wise restrictions, feebleness and disease would have been unknown
among them. Their descendants would have possessed both physical and mental
strength. They would have had clear perceptions of truth and duty, keen
discrimination, and sound judgment. But their unwillingness to submit to
the restrictions and requirements of God, prevented them, to a great extent,
from reaching the high standard which He desired them to attain, and from
receiving the blessings which He was ready to bestow upon them. (p.
379) {PP 378.3}

"And He closed the roll, and gave it back to
the attendant: . . . and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fastened on
Him. . . . And all bare Him witness, and wondered at the words of grace which
proceeded out of His mouth." Luke 4:20-22, R. V., margin. {DA 237.1}

Jesus stood before
the people as a living expositor of the prophecies concerning Himself. Explaining
the words He had read, He spoke of the Messiah as a reliever of the oppressed,
a liberator of captives, a healer of the afflicted, restoring sight to the
blind, and revealing to the world the light of truth. His impressive manner
and the wonderful import of His words thrilled the hearers with a power they
had never felt before. The tide of divine influence broke every barrier down;
like Moses, they beheld the Invisible. As their hearts were moved upon by
the Holy Spirit, they responded with fervent amens and praises to the Lord.
{DA 237.2}

But when Jesus
announced, "This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears," they were
suddenly recalled to think of themselves, and of the claims of Him who had
been addressing them. They, Israelites, children of Abraham, had been represented
as in bondage. They had been addressed as prisoners to be delivered from
the power of evil; as in darkness, and needing the light of truth. Their
pride was offended, and their fears were roused. The words of Jesus indicated
that His work for them was to be altogether different from what they desired.
Their deeds might be investigated too closely. Notwithstanding their exactness
in outward ceremonies, they shrank from inspection by those clear, searching
eyes. {DA 237.3}

Who is this Jesus?
they questioned. He who had claimed for Himself the glory of the Messiah
was the son of a carpenter, and had worked at His trade with His father Joseph.
They had seen Him toiling up and down the hills, they were acquainted with
His brothers and sisters, and knew His life and labors. They had seen Him
develop from childhood to youth, and from youth to manhood. Although His
life had been spotless, they would not believe that He was the Promised One.
{DA 237.4}

Ellen
G. White, Faith and Works, p. 33

God has given us His Word to be our guide.
Christ has said, "Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal
life: and they are they which testify of Me" (John 5:39). He prayed for His
disciples, "Sanctify them through Thy truth: Thy word is truth" (John 17:17).
Paul says, "I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things
contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth" (Acts 26:9). But this belief did
not make his course right. When Paul received the gospel of Jesus Christ,
it made him a new creature. He was transformed; the truth planted in his
soul gave him such faith and courage as a follower of Christ that no opposition
could move him, no suffering daunt him. {FW 33.1}

Men may make
what excuse they please for their rejection of God's law; but no excuse will
be accepted in the day of judgment. Those who are contending with God and
strengthening their guilty souls in transgression must very soon meet the
Great Lawgiver over His broken law. {FW 33.2}

The day of God's
vengeance cometh--the day of the fierceness of His wrath. Who will abide
the day of His coming? Men have hardened their hearts against the Spirit
of God, but the arrows of His wrath will pierce where the arrows of conviction
could not. God will not far hence arise to deal with the sinner. Will the
false shepherd shield the transgressor in that day? Can he be excused who
went with the multitude in the path of disobedience? Will popularity or numbers
make any guiltless? These are questions which the careless and indifferent
should consider and settle for themselves. {FW 33.3}

Matthew 24:14 KJV 14 And this gospel of the
kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations;
and then shall the end come.